Dawgs Win a Thriller

Washington capitalized on three USC turnovers and got big plays from QB Jake Locker and WR Jermaine Kearse down the stretch that allowed them to beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 2003, notching a stunning 16-13 win over the third-ranked Trojans in front of 61,889 fans at Husky Stadium.

The win also marks the first win at home over an opponent ranked that high since the Huskies beat USC at Husky Stadium on November 14, 1981, a 13-3 win over the then third-ranked team in the country.

K Erik Folk hit a 22-yard field goal with :07 left on the clock to get the win, but it was a combination of USC mistakes and big plays when Washington needed it that resulted in the win.

Locker didn’t have a great day statistically, but still managed to complete 21 of 35 passes for 237 yards and hit big plays to Kearse down the field on the final drive to get the winning points on the board.

With the Huskies facing third-and-15 from their own 28, Locker dropped back to pass and threaded a pass between four Trojans that was hauled in by Kearse for 21 yards, extending the drive. Five plays later Locker found Kearse for 19 yards to the USC 16 and then had eight more yards added on for a roughing-the-passer penalty, taking the ball to the Trojan 8.

From there, Washington was able to run the clock down before Folk’s winning field goal attempt.

USC scored the first 10 points of the game, driving 80 yards in six plays, ending when RB Joe McKnight went over from seven yards out. They then added a 42-yard field goal from Jordan Congdon field goal and appeared ready to run away with the game. However, the Washington defense stiffened and allowed only three points the rest of the day.

Washington used three big USC errors in the second quarter to keep things even at halftime.

Leading 10-7, the Trojans marched the ball on Washington all the way to the Husky 35 and on fouth-and-1, RB Stafon Johnson rushed for a five yard gain, but LB Mason Foster stripped the ball and it was recovered by S Justin Glenn, thwarting one scoring try.

Washington then took advantage of a roughing-the-passer penalty on third-and-10 on their own 46 and six plays later, K Erik Folk knocked through the tying field goal from 28 yards out.

The final error resulted in USC missing a chance at adding points right before the end of the first half. Driving to Washington’s 29, USC faced a third-and-one with only 18 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts remaining. FB Stanley Havili was stuffed for a two-yard loss on the play by LB Donald Butler and the Trojans were unable to get the field goal off before time expired, sending the teams into the locker room tied 10 apiece.

The Huskies and Trojans played to a stalemate in the third quarter, with neither team putting any points on the board. USC seemed primed to score twice, but a fumble by Havili on a hit by Bulter and an interception by Butler deep in Washington territory negated two scoring opportunities.

Kearse finished with just three catches, but managed to still post 70 yards receiving while freshman WR James Johnson led the team with seven receptions for 72 yards including three that resulted in first downs.

On the ground, RB Chris Polk managed to post 71 tough yards on 25. For the Trojans, McKnight led the way with 100 yards and a touchdown and while Johnson and Havili combined for 103 more yards on 16 carries.

USC QB Aaron Corp struggled, completing 13 of 22 passes for 110 yards, but he was picked off by Butler and could have had three more intercepted as well.

On defense, the Huskies were led by Butler’s 12 tackles, but Glenn (7), S Nate Williams (6), CB Quinton Richardson (5) and LB E.J. Savannah (5) each had solid days as well.

Washington will now take the allowed 24 hours to enjoy their historic win before getting back to work Sunday afternoon in preparation for their first road-trip of the season when they head to Palo Alto to take on Stanford (1-1) who take on San Jose State later this evening.